Last day of the Visit to Lansdowne

Last day of the Visit to Lansdowne
Having accomplished mission petrol, we called it a day and reached hotel by 7 PM. We had to leave for Delhi next morning. We decided for 9 AM start-off.

Next morning I woke up at 6.30 AM. I had to fulfill the promise made to Chaitanya – take him for trekking. Leaving other members to recuperate from yesterday’s journey, I and Chaitanya hit the trek to Lansdowne which passes through the hills above Blue Pine Resort.

The morning mist and fog welcomed us. We felt transported to a different world. Chaitanya aptly described as if surfing on clouds. Slowly but steadily we kept moving enjoying wonderful scenic beauty. This trek is not so easy to negotiate for a six years old boy. But my little brave-heart moved on with little but firm steps. Chaitanya’s company is always a learning opportunity for me. Seeing the world from his perspective is an eye opener many times. I had some lessons in the art of observation as he pointed out some beautiful wild flowers which might be peculiar to this region. Chaitanya has a sharp memory. He recalled that we had never seen such flowers in the plains and not even in the Himachal at the places we have visited so far. I reminisced how we had lost the way during a trekking in Himachal last year and it was only due to clues left by Chaitanya we could find the way back. Keep it up buddy.

On the way up-hill we came across some local people who must be daily commuters. It is the vantage point that makes the world look different. We were trekking for fun and joy; these people were trekking to negotiate day-to-day life!

On reaching the top we stopped short of Lansdowne town as we had to start-off to Delhi. There amidst the dense forest, looking down serpentine roads and breathing fresh air we felt rejuvenated instantly. In that serenity and silence I and Chaitanya paused to offer a prayer to Mother Nature. That blissful moment can not be relived through words.

We reached hotel around 9 AM. We had enough time for a quick round of the town before starting-off to Delhi. We passed through the town and headed for ‘Tip-n-top’ which provides a good vantage point for Garhwall Hills. On a clear day you may have a glimpse of Garhwall Himalayas as well. There is a cafe and tourist bungalow run by GMVN. We, however, had no time to check that.

We bid adieu to Lansdowne with a promise to come back and started for Delhi at around 10 AM. Road to Kotdwar was familiar now. We stopped at a place and descended for our first ever rendezvous with a hill river. This beautiful shallow river was flowing at the bed of the valley, sustaining life in small houses on both its banks. After spending some time with the river and collecting an array of pebbles we resumed our journey.

This being Dussehra day, traffic volume was low and the journey uneventful. Midway we stopped at Monty Millions, which is a good place for both food and to freshen up. After a sumptuous lunch, we took Mawana road and passing through Meerut and Modinagar we were home by 6.30 PM.

We had both hands full – overwhelmed by the beauty and majesty of Garhwall Hills and richer in experience. Indeed, Lansdowne will now be one of our favourite holiday destinations.